Prologue to the End
by Piercerofshadows
Summary: 17 months after Takeshi returned from Hueco Mundo, trouble is brewing. 2nd story in the series. There will be more.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, been a while. This chapter begins a continuation of Takeshi's adventures that will go far beyond anything he has previously experienced. There will be 3 chapters, then I will work on a separate story, followed shortly by the rest of Takeshi's adventures. I have to thank my beta reader, The King of Thieves Cephas. Enjoy the chapter.

-Piercer

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The Grey Marigold Chapter 36

* * *

"What a beautiful day." Feet pounding against the barren ground, Takeshi lumbered through the forest. Forest, of course, was a very generous term for his current surroundings. The trees within his inner world were not green or brown, but a dull grey. Similarly, the clouds covering the entirety of the landscape looked to be little more than a sheet of soot.

"Indeed." Kishi no Kage softly padded alongside him. Her appearance had not changed in the slightest since the fight with Aizen 17 months ago. Skin like snow, with dark blonde hair resting upon her shoulders. Her dark attire, a traditional sign of morning, blended in almost perfectly with the surrounding shadow.

Takeshi also looked much the same as before. Over the year and a half, his dirty blonde hair had not been cut and grown long enough to several inches down his back, forcing him to tie it back into a tight ponytail. Because he no longer kept his hair in his face, the vibrancy of his bright green eyes was on full display. At 5'6", he was only a few inches taller than his Zanpakutō spirit.

"If only the Seireitei could be like this," he casually commented, looking to the sky. "Might just brighten up the place."

Unassumingly, his partner considered this. "Perhaps, but if you had nothing to compare it to, would it not become repetitive and dull, causing you to yearn for the way things are now?"

"Probably," he conceded, "that does sound like me."

"But," Takeshi countered, "that is not always the case."

"It must not be. You never seem to tire of coming here and talking to yourself."

"That's not what I meant," the shinigami shot back. "I was thinking of corny things like love, friendship and the like."

"Speaking of love, when are you gonna get yourself a girlfriend? You know you have yet to get that cherry po-"

"Hey now!" Takeshi exclaimed, cutting her off and looking red as a different kind of cherry. "We were having such nice conversation. Why ya have to bring that up?"

"Well, you turned 62 this year. You need to get out there whole we are still young."

"Why don't we stop that-" Takeshi began.

"And go get a girlfriend?" Kishi no Kage finished hopefully.

"-and have a match."

"Ah, you're no fun!" She pouted. Pulling a sword from her mofoku, the spirit relented. "Perhaps fighting is something else that never gets old to you."

"You're damn right, it is!" He roared, lunging at his partner.

* * *

A hush fell over the sickly woods. On the forest floor, limbs and whole tree trunks lay scattered on the ground. Piercing the shadows, the savage cry of two warriors filled the air, followed by the clang of metal on metal.

Takeshi's sword flew through the air and embedded itself in a tree stump. Shocked, he fell to his knees. "How?"

"Normally, our fights are not as one-sided." Sheathing her blade, she cast sorrowful eyes on her partner. "It's you, Takeshi. Something has happened that has affected your fighting."

He stared at his weapon, baffled. "What can I do?' He frantically implored.

His heart skipped a beat as she shook her head. "This is something you must discover on your own." With that, segmented into the shadows, leaving her partner to his misery.

* * *

"So explain it to me again." Takeshi gruffly requested. "It doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

Takeshi was walking together with Izuru and 7 other seated officers from his squad. Through the maze of white walls and yellow tiled rooves that was the Seireitei. The band of Squad 3 members was was indistinguishable from the unusually high traffic that permeated the heirarchal center of the Soul Society.

"Well," Izuru anxiously began, "We are going to the Squad 1 barracks to put some of our power into a sword."

"And we are doing this to get Ichigo his powers back?"

"Yes," he confirmed tiredly. "If Ichigo is... stabbed with sword containing the energy of countless Soul Reapers, it should be enough to reawaken his powers."

Izuru was a dreary looking Shinigami, with the appearance match his professional title of "Death God". He had cut his blonde hair, with it not even reaching his shoulders in the back. His signature bang hung down over his eye, covering it entirely. He rarely smiled, and he always looked tired, as though overworked.

Takeshi crossed his arms behind his head. "However you put it, that makes no sense. Sounds to me more like we're killin him."

Sighing, Izuru decided not to try to explain any further, but a voice rose up amongst the other Squad 3 members. "My God, you are such a fool."

Asuka Katakura stepped forward, putting a face to the voice. He was a dapper Shinigami with shoulder length black hair framing his face with a right bang. Beneath his robes, he wore a white short and collar. As 6th Seat of Squad 3, he had above average strength. Then again, the average was pretty low.

"Asuka, please stop this," another voice called out.

"Not now, Rikū," Asuka snapped. "I need to put this 9th seat in his place."

"For some time now, you and Lieutenant Kira have been the best of friends, acting as equals. You even have the gall to give him advice! If you think you can weasel your way into the big leagues by being a goody-goody with the second-in-command, then you have another thing coming.

Izuru looked as though he wanted to say something, but was uncertain. "Don't worry, Izuru," Takeshi stated, stepping fowrard to meet Asuka's challenge. "I got this."

"There you go again, acting all high and mighty for no reason. You, who is nothing but an cockroach trying to get higher in the food chain."

Takeshi sighed, putting a hand on his head. "Listen, guy, I'm in a real bad mood, and I have a splitting headache. I don't feel like fighting a teammate."

The opposing Soul Reaper brushed some hair behind his ear. "That's fine, because I don't recognize you as a teammate."

A circle had formed around the two as they drew their Zanpakutō. All was silent. Rarely did a fight happen among the disciplined ranks of the Soul Society. Izuru's heart rate accelerated drastically as he debated whether or not he should stop this. "Takeshi, don't go too far."

Asuka made the first move, a vertical strike aimed at Takeshi's shoulder, which was effortlessly parried. Quick to follow up, Asuka aimed a slash at Takeshi's legs, but this was also blocked. Frustrated, the Shinigami launched a furious combination of attacks. "Look at the insect! He can barely defend, let alone -" The cocky Shinigami was silenced by a boot to the head. A headboot, if you will.

Asuka was sent sprawling to the ground, resulting in murmering amongst the stunned onlookers. When he got back to his feet, his hair was a disheveled mess. "A lucky shot." Positioning his blade before him, the Shinigami shouted "Drown out, Katakage!" Asuka"s blade briefly shone, and when the light died down, there was a long elliptical hole that ran an inch from the sheath to an inch from the blade. At it's thickest, the metal surrounding it was thin enough to not be practical. I bet a weakling like you doesn't even have a Shikai."

Takeshi gripped his Zanpakutō harder. "Man, this asshole is asking for it. Overwhelm the light, Kishi no Kage!" As he said this, The weapon master of Squad 3 twirled his sword. Almost magically, his blade melted, and the liquid expanded, taking the shape of a much larger sword. By the time the Zanpakutō's spin had come to a halt, it had solidified in his hulking Shikai.

Smoothing back his hair, Asuka stifled a laugh. "That monster is your Shikai? It must be that big to compensate for your weakness, you 9th Seat trash."

Readying his blade, Takeshi spat. "Tough talk coming from a 6th Seat. You couldn't even make the top 5."

What he said must have hit hard, because Asuka rushed once more.

 **"YOU TRASH!"**

The enraged Shinigami tried to execute a downward swing, but he was swatted away by the flat of Kishi no Kage. The 5000 Kg sword sent him flying into a wall, unconscious. Takeshi's Shikai phased back into it's sealed state "You are really starting to piss me off." As Takeshi sheathed his sword, he walked towards his foe, a vein in his head throbbing. "The last person that pissed me off was beheaded on the spot." He came to a stop before the body of Asuka, popping his knuckles. "Let's see where this takes us."

A blade came to his neck faster than he could react to it. Holding the Zanpakutō, Izuru, the indescisiveness gone from his eyes. "That's enough."

Takeshi looked to his friend, then to his enemy, who lay unconscious on the tiled ground. As his heart rate slowly returned to normal, he turned his back to the scene. "Hopefully, he can keep that jealousy in check, or next time, I might not be able to control myself." Then, he began anew his trip to the Squad 1 Barracks.

Sheathing his sword and breathing a sigh of relief, he turned to his fallen squadmate. "Captin Ōtoribashi will not be pleased."


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Sorry that I've been away so long. Been busy with college life and whatnot. But excuses aside, this chapter takes place after the point where the anime ends, and contains spoilers up to Chapter 654, or somewhere around that area. If you haven't read that far ahead, then I would personally recommend that you not read this yet, as it contains several juicy spoilers. But far be it from me to tell you what to do. Also, this one's a bit bloody, borderline gratuitous violence, so be warned

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

"Reishi Investigation Team, what is taking so long?" Izuru shouted at the stout man behind him. A group of Third Division first responders stood before a pillar of blue flames, waiting for the reported enemy. An air of unease had fallen over the group, for none of them had any idea of what was to come.

"I'm sorry sir! This Reishi is too dense. The device is going crazy." The unarmed man behind the laptop-like machine was a large fellow, wearing white robes over his uniform and a matching hat. Additionally, he had a visor of some kind covering the top half of his face, with a single lens where his left eye would normally be, most likely to aid in analyzing Reishi and Spiritual Pressure. At the moment, it didn't seem to be doing any good.

"You think they're inside there, Rikū?" As Izuru spoke to the Third Seat of his Squad, his eyes never strayed from the brilliant pillar of Reishi.

"Yes," Rikū Togakushi responded curtly, his small eyes also trained on the flames before them. "They've got to be in there."

"Well, I hope they hurry up and come out already," Fifth Seat Gori Taketsuna gruffly replied, his dark helmet glinting in the light. "I'm so tired of waiting, I'm starting to yawn."

An irritated Asuka Katakura glanced at the reaper who was only one seat higher than him. "I imagine you'll regret yawning when the enemy suddenly attacks mid-yawn and you bite your tongue, you fucking ape."

Izuru was to put a stop to yet another of their squabbles, when suddenly the Reishi Investigator grabbed his attention. "We detected a Spiritual Pressure. It matches our sample with a precision rating of 93%. It's a Quincy!"

At his words, a hint of despair crept over his expression. It had been over 200 years since the last conflict with the Quincy's, and said war had cost countless Shinigami their lives and had nearly eliminated the entire Quincy race.

A Silhouette had appeared in the flame. A nearby Soul Reaper shouted "I saw him!" and another shouted "Get him!". Every Shinigami in the area readied their Zanpakutō and those closest charged.

Suddenly, a fiery beam of energy shot out from the silhouette, going right over the shoulders of the Shinigami in front. Everyone turned to look behind them, and gasped. The attack had hit Izuru, who was already falling to his knees, a look of utter shock on his face. A hole had been torn through the right side of his chest, blood gushing from the wound like a fountain. His Zanpakutō clattered against the against the ground, hand still griping. His bicep had been completely destroyed by the blast, severing his forearm from the rest of his body.

As his knees hit the ground, blood spewed from his mouth and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. "UWAAAAAAH!", a Squad 3 foot soldier shouted in horror. "Lieutenant Kira was...!"

Maintaining his composure, Rikū readied his weapon. "A surprise attack, how vile!" Taking command, he turned to fellow seated officers, braided hair whipping around madly. "Use the Shikai! Don't let him escape!"

His order was met with a fierce "YES!" Asuka, Gori, and Rikū all preformed their Shikai at the same time. "Drown out, Katakage!" "Blow Loudly, Mogaribue!" "Coil upward, Shunjin!"

As quickly as the words had left their mouths, Asuka and Gori were brutally slammed headfirst into the ground. Rikū attempted to turn to face the enemy, but in a flash, his blood painted the ground red. The foot soldiers, fearing for their lives, began to run away. "Sorry", the enemy blandly stated, pulling down his hood. "The order is to kill you all."

The Quincy wore a hooded cloak over a thigh length double breasted trench coat. Armbands with a skull and crossbones design wrapped around his biceps, with black gloves on each hand. His pants ended just before a pair of black military boots, and he wore a thin chained necklace. A long red Mohawk, complemented by rich green eyes and multiple piercings in each ear completed the rebellious look.

As the Soul Reapers fled, one stayed behind, dirty blonde ponytail swaying in the wind. He appeared shell shocked, blankly staring at the body of Lieutenant Kira. "Your friend?", the Quincy inquired, striding towards the Shinigami. "When it comes to friendship, shit happens. Take it from me."

Stopping before him, the Quincy pointed his index finger at the Shinigami's chest. "Crying about it will only get you killed. Burn- "

The Quincy stopped, feeling a crushing grip on his hand. The once speechless Soul Reaper, his face now a mask of pure rage, had grabbed his hand. Before he could do anything, he was lifted into the air and promptly slammed in back onto the ground.

Startled by the fact that the unexpected Judo toss had actually hurt, it took him a few seconds to recover. As he rose to his feet, he saw the Soul Reaper check his friends pulse, then hoist him over his shoulder. "Listen up Quincy," Takeshi commanded, glaring at him. "Don't die. I want to kill you myself." He then flash stepped away.

Bazz-B dusted himself off, checking his outfit for any discrepancies. "I look forward to it."

hr/

"This way." A group of Quincy Soldat, the foot soldiers of the invading Wandereich, sped towards the Twelfth Squad barracks Hirenkyaku. Riding Reishi gathered below their feet at high speed, they could hardly be seen. With their gas masks and goggles, they almost seemed like military robots. "We are looking for the Department of Research and Development. If we destroy that, their intelligence network will crumble."

"Jawohl!" was the uniform response from the faceless grunts.

Passing a peculiar building, their eyes were momentarily glued to the sign on the front. "Charismatic Mayuri Kurotsuchi's Magical Clinic". They were so distracted that they failed to notice a loud explosive sound from that direction.

He was about to turn away, when the sound of a second tremendous boom grabbed his attention. A bullet flew through his head, destroying his facial apparatus and dislodging his eyes from their sockets. A quick but gruesome end.

The sight of his grossly disfigured body falling to the ground caused the rest of the Soldat to quickly take cover across from the clinic behind a fountain. In a panic, the underlings tried to get a grasp on the situation.

"What was that sound?"

"A gunshot."

"What? They have guns now?!"

"Where did it come from?"

"The Major… … He's dead…"

"I DON'T WANNA DIE! I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

"I have to report this."

"What do we do?"

"I'll think of something."

"I DON'T WANNA DIE! I DON'T WA- "

The Quincy, who had taken off his headgear and was crying in a corner, had a relatively young looking face when compared to those of the rest of his squad. Eyes, a deep caramel brown, that were until moments ago ignorant to the ways of war. Skin, smooth as silk, covered in tears. Lips, full and pink, quivering in fear.

His $600 haircut and neatly trimmed eyebrows made evident the silver spoon that he had in his mouth his whole life. He should ever have come to this place, but had been given a call to action that few could refuse.

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

"Kid, shut up. You're not going to die. We're gonna get out of here and give those bastard Soul Reapers what for."

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

Boom

"SHUT UP!"

It took a moment for him to realize that the person he was just talking to was now slumped against a low wall, a steaming pile of piss, gray matter and flesh slowly leaking into the fountain.

"Geez, that guy would not shut up."

Walking out of the to the clinic, green eyes gleaming in the pale light of the Seireitei, Takeshi surveyed the soldiers before him. "What a pansy."

"How could you do that? HE was only 19! His whole life ahead of him.!"

Regarding the group with apathy, Takeshi shook the pistol in his hand. "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor. My bullet punishes all without distinction. Besides which, this is war. Death is inevitable." A nameless grunt raised bow to fire, but quickly found his right hand was now missing. "Since I can't use Bankai around you clowns, I had a mad scientist friend of mine make this bad boy for me. Fire's Reishi so concentrated that it takes a solid form like a bullet. I'm not quite used to them yet, so I usually miss the first shot."

Boom.

In a fraction of a second, dozens of shots were fired, and Takeshi stood alone amongst a field of horribly disfigured corpses. One of the men, the one who had yelled at the young soldier, had managed to dodge most of the shots, but was missing an ear and a chunk out of his right leg. Looking him in his terriefied eyes, he put the gun to his head and sprayed his brain across the bodies of his comrades. "Noobs."

Returning to the clinic, caught sight o Mayuri leaving the operating room. "I do wish you would be more quiet. Do you have any comprehension of the complexity of the procedure I just preformed?"

Takeshi shrugged, leaving the hand cannon on a table. "There is a reason this type of stuff is left to you. I'm more muscle than brain." Looking towards the operating room, his expression tightened. "How is he?"

"Lieutenant Kira is doing splendid, considering the severity of the injuries he sustained." Takeshi was doing his best to take the captain of Squad Twelve seriously, but his ridiculous luminescent outfit with the sun shaped helmet was making it quite difficult. "Further plastic surgery will be needed at a later date, as he is still missing large quantities of flesh of much of his right lung, but for now, he is stable. He should awaken in a few hours.

"Captain, I can't thank you enough", Takeshi said, moving towards the door to see Izuru.

Mayuri block his way. "There will be time for sentimentality later. For now, you have been appointed a new mission by Head Captain Shunsui Kyoraku."

"Oh?" Having never met the man, Takeshi wondered why he was on his radar.

"Yes. Your new Assignment is the rescue of Tier Harribel, the former Espada and current leader of Hueco Mundo… I suppose that is not quite accurate anymore, since this mess with the any case, since she took control of Hueco Mundo, hostilities between them and the Soul Society have all but ceased. It is the belief of the Head Captain that she is a valuable ally, and must therefore be kept alive and secure."

Takeshi paused to consider. Rescuing his former rescuer. Could be interesting. "Why would I be considered for the job?"

You are believed to be capable of preforming the task, and that woman is at least marginally familiar with you, which should make it all the easier."

"Well, suppose that makes sense." Takeshi agreed, picking up the gun and turning towards the door.

"However", Mayuri added, stroking his chin malevolently, "I also believe you being sent because, as a non-Captain class combatant, should you be captured or killed, it would wouldn't hurt our military force very much. In short, you are expendable."

A particularly large vein surfaced on Takeshi's forehead, but he managed to keep his cool. "What the hell, why not. Since the last time we met, I've had a thing for her anyways."

* * *

So that is the end of this chapter. If you thought I took a long time on this one, then I have some bad news. The next chapter will be a minimum of three months from now. I anticipate longer. This is because I need more of the source material, the manga, to come out before I can wrap this up. To be notified when it is posted, I recommend that you follow me or the story. Until then, I will see yall later. -Piercer_of_Shadows


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Soooo, I kinda forgot about this. Some writer I am, right. Also, whenever I did remember, I had no motivation to write. I didn't want to half ass this, so I waited until I was in the mood. Because of those two reasons, the time between last chapter and this one became utterly ridiculous, and for that I can only offer my humblest apologies. That is not to say that it won't happen again, but I will try to prevent. It feels as though I say that a lot, but each time I type a statement like this, I truly mean it. I hope to keep to it this time.

Anyhow, this chapter will contain spoilers up to around the end of the manga, but I have changed things up quite a bit, not due to dissatisfaction with the ending, but just to serve my own means. Also this is the last chapter of this Prologue to the End, so I'm moving on to a different story after this, one I planned on doing a while back, but didn't for various reasons. This one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so please don't be mad.

One last thing, While I was researching, I realized that I had been serially misspelling Wandenreich. Sorry about that.

* * *

The second invasion began with ice. As darkness enveloped the Shakonmaku, the barrier surrounding the Seireitei, wintry buildings began while to appear while the old ones dissolved into nothingness. Within seconds, everything, the barracks, the Research and Development Institute, and even the Seireitei walls, was gone, only to be replaced by the Schatten Bereich, the shadow dimension in which the Wandenreich resided.

A large building cased in thick layers of frost loomed in the distance. Silbern, headquarters for the Quincy invasion. A lengthy stairway adorned the front of the building, which led to a row of thick columns that supported a second tier. The result was a building which seemed to be a combination of a Japanese pagoda and Geek amphitheater. Above the stairs were pair of curved structures resembling half arches, or even horns. This imposing (and decidedly Non-Germanic) building was Takeshi's target.

In all actuality, there was no intel to suggest that was where Tier Harribel was being held. There wasn't even any way to know if she was alive or not. For these reasons, an expendable (Takeshi grimaced at this thought) was being sent.

At first, no one could even come up with a plausible way to even find the Wandenreich. Mayuri kept on going on about the shadows being the key, but he was unable to elaborate, so in the meantime, other possibilities were explored. Takeshi could almost call the second invasion a God-send, if not for the loss of his home, possessions, livelihood, and potentially his and his comrades' lives. Other than that, it was perfect.

"I wish the R & D place hadn't disappeared too. Their Reishi analysis would have helped a lot." With a sigh, Takeshi quicken his pace. "I guess I'll have to play this shit by ear."

From a position far above, 3 Quincies observed the situation. "Your Majesty, we appear to have an intruder," Jugram Haschwalth, the Grandmaster of the Sternritter, reported. A tall, lanky man, Haschwalth looked statuesque with his cold, unfeeling eyes and platinum blonde hair. He wore the traditional Sternritter hooded cloak, with bits of a forest green fur poking out of the collar. "Shall I remove him?"

Reddish brown eyes peered down at Takeshi, regarding him as apathetically as a shark would a swimmer. "There is no reason to," Ywach responded. "He is but a single rank -and-file Soul Reaper, charging into the unknown. He cannot change the outcome of this war."

With his long messy black hair, mutton chops, and enormous muscle mass, Ywach resembled a wild animal A long, broad face and pronounced cheekbones only exacerbated the ferocity of his appearance. But his eyes betrayed a vast intelligence, consisting of millennia of experiences.

Covering a Sternritter double breasted treach coat, which was emblazoned with the symbol of the Wandenreich, he wore a shredded ankle length black cloak, with a crimson ribbon adorning the top. At his right shoulder, a large button fastened the clock.

Uryu Ishida, looking his usual sullen self, remained silent. As the wind blew, his bangs, which hung mostly to the right side of his face, covered his frameless glasses. In his blue eyes, one could see his lack of eagerness to be a part of this war against his former allies, but the Quincy blood coursing through his veins was enough of a call to action for him.

"Yes, as you wish your Majesty," Haschwalth stoically replied, before the three Quincy vanished entirely.

Takeshi, stopping suddenly, sneezing. "Somebody must be talkin' about me. Probably about how strong I am."

* * *

Panting, Takeshi came to a stop before the staircase. "God dammit, I need to do more cardio." Looking up at the intimidating, he decided to wait a little bit before climbing up the steps.A few minutes later, he had flash stepped to the top of the steps. "Fuck, I stubbed my toe!" His big toe had swollen to epic proportions, and it hurt like hell.

Looking up from his predicament, Takeshi realized he was not alone. Several yards from him was a… man? He had black hair with white streaks across the top. Somehow the whole thing managed to look both messy and slicked back at the same time, and there was a strand of hair that reached down past his lavender eyes to his mouth. He wore silver armor around his neck, shins, and groin, which had strange periwinkle stripes on them. His pants were extremely baggy, and looked strange tucked into boots. "Well, what have we here?"

Takeshi grimaced. "I could say the same about you. Your clothes make me want to hurl."

"This is high fashion, something you weirdos in all black couldn't possibly understand," the mystery man replied, pouting.

"Hey, you know what, you look a little familiar. " Takeshi squinted, scratching his stubble. Could it be? "You wouldn't happen to be related to that traitor Aizen, would ya?"

"NOT AGAIN!" Aizen lookalike exclaimed. Every time I meet one of you Soul Reapers it's the same thing. Aizen this, Sosuke that, It gets so exhausting. I look NOTHING like that pretty boy."

"Well that doesn't matter anyways." Drawing his sword, Takeshi pointed at the deformed Aizen. I have business here, don't think you can stop me."

"Oh, and what can you do?" the Quincy questioned, crossing his arms. "You are in enemy territory with no support or intel, while we know everything there is to know about you. Well, if you are a fighter worth knowing about, that is."

"None of that matters." Takeshi stated resolutely. "I have a mission to complete, and I also happen to have a vested interest in finishing it. If you or anyone tries to get in my way, I guess I'll just have to kick some ass here and there."

"Hmmmm…" Playing with his stray hair, the stranger contemplated. After coming to a conclusion, he shrugged. "You may be vulgar, but I'm curious as to where this will lead. You may pass."

A shame, I was looking forward to wiping the floor with you."

"The feeling is not mutual." Without warning, he disappeared. With the obstacle out of his way, Takeshi ran the entrance of Silbern.

45 minutes until Ywach absorbs the Soul King.

* * *

"Ichigo, is this all you can muster?"

"Kuyrosaki-kun!"

Ywach stood before Ichigo, darkness flowing out of him. The entire top of his face was a dark mask, and nearly every other part of his body was similarly covered in shadows, save his hands, feet, and the center of his chest.

"And I even allowed you to release your Bankai. Who could you possibly protect with that level of power.

"Ugh!" Ichigo tried to get up, but was unable to.

"You still intend to struggle against your fate, even after clashing with God himself? It seems your stubbornness knows no bounds. Shall I show you just how helpless you are?" Ywach raised his hand and pointed towards Orihime. "NO! ORIHIIME!" Ichigo managed to get on his feet, but he was far to slow to make it. A beam of darkness shot towards Orihime.

"Despair, Ichigo, my son of darkness, for you could not even protect one of your allies."

"IIICHIGOOOO!"

Suddenly, an enormous sword came down, splitting the beam in two. "It seems another lamb has come to slaughter."

Takeshi stood between Ywach and Orihime. The fights that led up to him being there had left him battered and bruised. "Getting a bit lazy, aren't we, Ichigo?"

"Takeshi? What are you doing here?"

"A rescue mission. The better question is why haven't you kicked his ass yet?"

Suddenly, Ywach appeared behind Ichigo. Grabbing him by the back of the head, the drove his bloodied face into the floor, knocking him unconscious. "It seems he was not up to the task. What about you, Takeshi Mukanshin? Do you truly believe that you can finish what he started.?"

"Honestly, I'm not interested. I'm just here for the Espada."

"Ah, yes, Harribel." As he spoke, an alter rose out of the floor, with the aforementioned Epada chained to it. She was barely conscious. "I knew you were coming, so I prepared this."

"I'm assuming that you won't let her go without a fight?"

"As I said, do you truly believe that you can finish what Ichigo started? My eyes see all, and there is not a single possible future in which you all will leave here alive."

"Oh yeah?" Takeshi prepared his Shikai for combat, leveling the blade with the ground. "Try me."

"Ah, the arrogance of youth," Ywach observed, almost reminiscently. "This is a fight you have no chance of winning."

Disregarding this, Takeshi leapt towards Ywach. However, right before he reached him, an explosion under his feet threw him back. "What the hell was that?'

"These eyes of mine, not only do they allow me to see the future, but also to change it entirely. I simply change it in a way that an explosion right under your very feet. As I said, you have absolutely no chance." The would-be God materialized sword. "However, it seems you won't listen to words alone. Let me show you just how powerless you truly are." Ywach teleported to right behind Harribel and raised his sword. "If I am not mistaken, to you, she is much more than a mission objective."

Takeshi jumped to his feet and prepared to flash step to Harribel. "Don't you dare!"

"Foolish Soul Reaper, know that you can do nothing."

As Ywach's blade neared Harribels neck, a light surrounded Takeshi. Roman letters, Japanese kanji, and characters he could not identify surrounded him and flashed by almost quicker than he could register. He opened his mouth to shout "Don't touch her!", but before the words had left his mouth, he had vanished.

Not before he saw her head separate from her body.

* * *

Author's Note: Maybe "a bit of a cliffhanger" was an understatement, but all will become clear (soon?). If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to leave them. I don't get a lot of them, so any that are left will definitely be seen,

Anyways, see you next time.

-Piercer_of_Shadows


End file.
